In this Grammarly review, I answer the age-old question, “Is Grammarly worth it?”
Grammarly is one of many spell and grammar checker software available for writers or businesspeople. And it’s not a terrible software like several are. It’s got a bunch of neat features that come in super handy. But is Grammarly really right for you, or is there something better?
That’s what we’re going to help you determine. Now, if there’s any specific part of this Grammarly review you’d like to skip ahead to, use the handy navigation links below.
- What is Grammarly?
- Who is Grammarly good for?
- How much does Grammarly cost?
- Grammarly Free vs Grammarly Premium
- Can Grammarly replace a human editor?
- Grammarly vs ProWritingAid
- Is Grammarly worth it?
What is Grammarly?
Grammarly is a top-notch grammar and spell checking tool for writers. It helps you to ensure that your writing is as good as it can be–no matter the situation. Seriously. Grammarly infuses itself into every aspect of your writing from documents, emails, projects, and even your social media! Grammarly integrates seamlessly with:
- Gmail
- Outlook
- FaceBook Messenger
- Yahoo
- Google Docs
- MS Office
- Salesforce
- And More!
Once setup, it’s just about everywhere that you write meaning you can have top-notch grammar at all times.
Grammarly Review: Functions
Grammarly does several things that can help you to hone your writing and ultimately help you become a better writer.
Grammar/Spell Checker:
Grammarly is hands down one of the absolute best when it comes to picking up spelling and grammar errors. With checks on over 100 different critical grammar criteria, Grammarly will pick up more errors in your writing than just about any other grammar checker on the market.
Plagiarism Checker:
This is one of the functions that really sets Grammarly apart from other editing tools. Grammarly Premium includes plagiarism checks that verifies your writing against 16 BILLION different websites! And while other software such as ProWritingAid offer plagiarism checks, Grammarly does them without an extra fee.
Style Checker:
Grammarly offer real-time writing style advice. It will give you insight into your sentence and paragraph structure even offering suggestions where needed. And these just aren’t general stylistic choices but genre-specific.
Correction Explanations
With some word processors or grammar checkers, you don’t get much in a way of explanation for your errors. Often, you’ll just see the red (or whatever color) underline which indicates you have a problem. But Grammarly actually gives you an easy to read explanation to help you from making that same mistake again. And you can even set it up to where the explanations are more in-depth.
Grammarly Customization
You may find yourself using words or phrases that aren’t in any dictionary–especially if you’re using business jargon or other technical terminology. Instead of having to ignore every single issue, you can actually add these words to your Grammarly.
Find Out What Grammarly Can Do For You!
Who is Grammarly good for?
Honestly, if you write anything, Grammarly is good for you. It’s not just for book writers and authors. Do you write company emails? Use Grammarly to clean them up. Are you a student putting together a term paper or thesis? Grammarly’s got you covered.
Grammarly is a great program for anyone looking to create writing that is easily read and understood.
How much does Grammarly Cost?
If you’re looking to get the paid version of Grammarly, you’ve got three options.
Grammarly Free
Grammarly offers a free version of their software that anyone can use right away. While it does offer quite a bit of functionality, it is definitely limited when compared to the paid options.
Grammarly Premium
This option is not as expensive as some other paid software. It’s $12/month paid annually. When you look at it, that’s not too terrible a price. However, it’s billed annually so that could be a hefty lump sum for those of you just writing emails.
Grammarly Business
This is Grammarly’s Enterprise-level plan. It cost $15.00/month per individual–all billed in one sum annually. It provides everything that Grammarly Premium but with some extra admin tools to help make managing easier.
Grammarly Free vs Grammarly Premium
Can Grammarly replace a human editor?
Just how good is Grammarly? Can it actually replace a human editor?
To put things bluntly, no.
While Grammarly is an amazing tool to check for grammar, there are just some things I wouldn’t trust Grammarly with–especially if you’re writing a book. Real editors have adaptive editing skills. They can see the tone of your voice through your writing allow it to shine through even if it does include purposely made stylistic choices.
For instance, you may simulate thought or dialogue-rambling through long run-on sentences. Grammarly will crucify you for that, and you’ll end up “correcting” your voice right out of your writing.
Plus, there are other times where Grammarly will impose archaic grammar rules that are no longer applicable in today’s society. Essentially, there’s no replacement for a human editor–no matter what software you’re using. If you’re looking to get the absolute most out of your writing, check out this handy list of book editors that have been vetted for top notch service.
Grammarly vs ProWritingAid
But what about ProWritingAid? Isn’t that supposedly the best available? How does Grammarly stack up?
Well to be honest, I do like ProWritingAid better. For me, I just get more bang for my buck. The different reports that PWA offers are far more than anything Grammarly has. I’m not saying Grammarly is bad though. I just prefer PWA. If you want to see why, check out my ProWritingAid review!
One thing I do like better about Grammarly though is the Plagiarism checks. You actually have to pay extra for those on ProWritingAid. So, if you’re needing a bunch of plagiarism checks, skip PWA and opt for Grammarly.
Grammarly Review: Is Grammarly Worth It?
So, is Grammarly worth the money? In some situations, yes.
If you’re looking for an extremely in-depth program to help further your exploits as a writer… I’d rather go with ProWritingAid.
But, if you’re looking for something lightweight and simple, Grammarly’s one of the best around. It’s got some seriously great power as a grammar checker. Plus having included plagiarism checks across 16 BILLION websites and sources is pretty awesome. It’s a great program that any user will benefit from.
Cheers!
